8.03.09 2:13 pm by Matt
During All-Star 2009, LeBron threatened to “clean up” the Dunk Contest. He hinted that if the rules were tightened up and he talked some fellow superstars into it, he’d participate.
Here’s the thing: sure, LeBron can jump high. REALLY high. But there’s just a limit to how high people can jump. Through the legs and a variant thereof is the go-to move in the finals every year, which leads to boredom, which led to a push toward creativity, costumes, and chicanery of all sorts.
Since LeBron and his superstar competitors can only repeat the through-the-legs so many times, I’m here to bring some ideas to the table for an All-Star filled Dunk Contest.
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7.26.09 10:02 am by Matt
NBA analysis seems to consist of relating every move to the Summer of 2010, dreaming of players for teams to get during the Summer of 2010, or just talking about the Summer of 2010 for no other reason. The Summer of 2010 probably has a player card on ESPN.com. “The Knicks are smart to pick up those contracts that will expire in the Summer of 2010 so they can make a run at LeBron James.” “That’s a great trade for the Pistons, clearing that cap space aimed at Dwyane Wade in the Summer of 2010.”
Well I say PHOOEY. Here’s why we’re in for a big, massive, giant, huge BUMMER of 2010:
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7.03.09 9:36 am by Matt
A huge, monumental, incredible trade occurred last week. Shaquille O’Neal was purchased for the low, low price of expiring contracts. What are the ramifications, you ask? That’s why I’m here. Some of fans’ burning questions about the Shaq-to-Cleveland trade.
Q: How will Mike Brown integrate Shaq into the offense?
A: He’ll think up a second play. Play 1: Stand around and watch LeBron. Play 2: Stand around and watch Shaq. He spent all of Friday working on that. See, here’s page 3 of Brown’s playbook.
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6.04.09 7:27 pm by Alex
Tonight we’ll see the first game of the 2009 NBA finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic. ESPN likes to point out that these cities both contain Disney theme parks, a form of subliminal advertising since ESPN is part of ABC, which is part of Disney.
Lets look at how these teams got here. Both teams won their conference finals series in 6 games, L.A. defeating Denver and Orlando taking care of first-seeded Cleveland. It seems like Kobe and the Lake Show have been destined for the finals since day one but Orlando’s first finals appearance since the Shaq days is seen by most people as a surprise. There has been a lot of advertising about a possible Kobe-Lebron finals, but it was not meant to be. The Magic took care of the Cavaliers in 6 games despite an incredible performance from LeBron James.
Dwight Howard and friends were able to stop the one-man show from Akron, but this L.A. team is an entirely different animal. Kobe Bryant is one of the best - maybe the best - players in the league, and on top of that they have a talented roster that, unlike the Cavaliers, is capable of putting together a complete team effort (See Conference Finals Game 6. Five guys in double figures).
The key to this series will be the Lakers’ ability to defend Dwight Howard and the three-point shooters of Orlando. Cleveland frequently left Pietrus, Lewis, Alston and Turkoglu wide open while trying to double-team Howard, a strategy that didn’t work because the Cavaliers big men were unable to defend him, even with help. If the Lakers play up to their potential, they should be able to figure something out to slow them down. I’ll take Gasol, Bynum, and Odom over Ilgauskas and Varejao any day, and Phil Jackson’s track record as a coach is reason enough to think they’ll do a better job defending than Cleveland did.
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5.11.09 1:32 am by Alex
We had some pretty exciting basketball this weekend; 2 games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday:
Friday
- Celtics 96, Magic 117 – Even without the services of Rafer Alston, Dwight Howard(14 pts, 17 reb) and company took care of business against Boston. No head slapping to report.
- Lakers 108, Rockets 94 – Close game at the half, but the Lakers took control in the 3rd quarter and never looked back. Yao Ming broke his foot and it was later announced he would miss the rest of the playoffs.
Saturday
- Nuggets 106, Mavericks 105 - Definitely the most controversial game of the weekend. Things were neck and neck for a majority of the game and Carmello Anthony hit a 3-pointer with a second left. The NBA officials blew another one, and later admitted that a foul should have been called prior to the shot. With Denver up 3-0 in the series, it looks like the outcome of this one is all but determined.
- Cavaliers 97, Hawks 82 – Atlanta gave the Cavs some trouble early, but LeBron scored 47 points and would not allow them to lose.
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